Mana is converted into natural elements, which are then used to cast spells or imbue objects with elemental properties. All elemental magic derives from seven fundamental elements, which can be categorized into general and special elements.
The general elements are fire, wind, lightning, earth, water. The special elements are light and darkness.
Entities with mana possess high affinity for one element, and their affinity for other elements varies based on the relationships between elements. This relationship can be visualized using a coin:
Arrange the general elements around the coin in the order: earth → lightning → water → fire → wind.
The element relationships follow the directional arrows: Water is strong against fire, fire against wind, wind against earth, earth against lightning, and lightning against water.
Affinity decreases in order from the primary element to adjacent elements. For example, someone with water affinity has secondary affinity for lightning and fire, followed by earth and wind.
As for the special elements, light and darkness are the coin’s two sides. They strongly repel each other. Since the coin’s front and back never meet, entities with light affinity have extremely low darkness affinity (and vice versa). However, they share equal affinity with all general elements. Visualizing this with the coin:
Light and darkness oppose each other while coexisting with the general elements.
This system determines which elemental spells characters can learn easily or struggle with.
In the game, only characters with magical talent dared to learn non-affinity elements, and even then, only those adjacent to their primary affinity. Attempting to learn further required immense time and resources—risking becoming a “failed character” by the story’s end.
In that sense, Hong Ye-na is truly remarkable. As the “Witch of Seven Colors” who teaches magic in the game, her mastery of all seven elements highlights her extraordinary talent.
Today, Yeon Ha-neul and I will meet her.
After class.
As soon as Yeon Ha-neul and I grabbed our bags, we left school.
“The Witch of Five Colors is arriving around 4 PM. Let’s head home and wait.”
“Sure. Is Eun-ah home?”
“She’s probably at the sword dojo by now.”
Since Hong Ye-na still goes by “Witch of Five Colors,” we decided to wait at home, snacking and resting.
“Maybe we should take a nap?”
Then it occurred to me:
Channeling mana induces fatigue—dizziness or even fainting in severe cases. While I’m used to handling mana, Yeon Ha-neul, new to it, might struggle. Resting could help.
When I suggested napping until Hong Ye-na arrived:
“Sleep until the Witch of Five Colors comes?”
Yeon Ha-neul, mid-stride, froze in surprise, blinking her red eyes.
I shrugged.
“Tell Mom to wake us when she arrives. We can sleep in my room. We’ve been in class since morning—channeling mana while tired could be draining…”
“Um, but… mental preparation…”
“What mental prep? You sleep on the floor. I’ll take the bed.”
“Huh? Isn’t it usually the opposite? Boys on the floor, girls on the bed…”
“It’s my room.”
“Right… yeah, that makes sense.”
“Just kidding. I’ll sleep on the floor; you take the bed. Or you can sleep in Eun-ah’s room if you prefer.”
My bed is big enough for two, but I didn’t want to pressure her.
“Ugh…”
Yeon Ha-neul hesitated, then sighed.
“No, it’s fine. I’d be too nervous to sleep at your house anyway. Not much time left… I’ll just relax in your room until the Witch of Five Colors arrives.”
“Sure? Then let’s play some games in my room.”
I respected her decision. We walked the rest of the way home.
“Mom! We’re home!”
“Hello, ma’am!”
“You’re here? The teacher’s coming later, so hang out in your room. I’ll bring snacks upstairs.”
“Let me help!”
“Could you lend a hand with the snacks?”
Mom greeted us warmly. Yeon Ha-neul, feeling guilty for always being a guest, offered to help. Mom beamed, saying it felt like having another daughter.
“Does that mean Eun-ah isn’t a daughter?”
If Eun-ah heard that, she’d pout. I left the chattering duo and went upstairs.
“Montsi, hyung’s home.”
Sniff!
“Sorry, but Ha-neul’s here, so I can’t take you out today. You won’t freak out, will you?”
Squeak…
I watched Montsi munch on hay while Yeon Ha-neul brought snacks.
“Mom said since I’m into baking, she’d love to try it with you next time.”
“Really? Baking’s one of Mom’s hobbies. I sometimes join her—let’s do it together when you’re free.”
“Yes! I’m really looking forward to it.”
Leaning against the bed, sitting close enough for our shoulders to touch, we snacked and gamed until time flew by.
“Kwon-woo, Ha-neul! The teacher’s here—come down!”
“Coming!”
It was 4 PM. Hong Ye-na had arrived.
We hurried downstairs to find her chatting with Mom in the living room.
“The illustration in the game wasn’t far off.”
A woman in a wide-brimmed hat—reminiscent of a witch’s hat or a traveler’s cap. Beneath it, chestnut hair cascaded down, framing her signature cynical face.
She wore a crisp white shirt and a black cape—unlike her game outfit, but unmistakably Hong Ye-na.
We greeted her.
She’d noticed us immediately but only looked over after sipping her coffee.
“You’re the one who called me? A Shin-Gum Do brat should focus on swords, not magic. Greedy kid, wanting to learn at your age… And dragging a friend along? This isn’t some child’s play.”
She spun around, crossing her legs. Her gaze was far from welcoming.
“I get why she’s annoyed.”
She’s always dismissive of untalented folks, but more importantly, we’d interrupted her travels. She’s likely mastering light-element magic right now—no way she’d see us favorably.
“I was summoned against my will, but don’t expect me to teach you. As I said over the phone, if you lack magical aptitude, you’ll leave empty-handed.”
Hong Ye-na spoke as if it were settled.
But I knew her prediction wouldn’t hold.
“Let’s confirm it now. I’ll guide you to the training ground.”
Though cold now, her attitude will shift once she sees Ha-neul’s talent.
I smiled brightly.
(When Hong Ye-na First Received the Tutoring Request from Shin-Gum Do)
When Hong Ye-na first received the tutoring request from Shin-Gum Do, she had no desire to accept it. However, refusing a request from one of the Ten Great Clans, which wield immense influence in the nation, and incurring their wrath was out of the question. At the very least, she had to pretend to listen.
“Ugh… I guess I have no choice.”
Hong Ye-na decided to pause her travels.
Magic is the act of imprinting one’s philosophy onto the world and materializing it. To refine magic to its highest degree, one must concretely hone their philosophy. Hong Ye-na, who sought mastery of light-element magic by visiting places touched by light, had to set her aspirations aside. Yet she couldn’t suppress her irritation.
“No doubt they’re surrounded by sycophants who’ve convinced them they’re someone important. Probably told them they might have magical talent, too.”
Though it had been years since graduating from the Advanced Academy, Hong Ye-na had lived in Academy City for over three years, encountering many from noble clans. Most believed their birthright defined them, arrogant and insufferably prideful, mere “silver-spoon brats.”
“Do Kwon-woo, huh? He’s probably the same.”
Hong Ye-na had no doubt. Based on the information she’d gathered after receiving Shin-Gum Do’s contact, she could roughly guess his character.
“Nicknamed ‘Rabbit’ because he’s too cowardly to hunt even a single rabbit… No talent in swordsmanship, ignored by his clan… So he thinks about learning magic? Or maybe he wants to study both sword and magic to gain his clan’s recognition?”
Absurd. While talent matters in any field, magic—after spirit arts—is the domain where talent matters most. It’s not a field one can dabble in lightly just because they lack sword talent. As someone who’d devoted her life to magic, Hong Ye-na found Do Kwon-woo particularly distasteful.
Moreover.
“And they want to add a girl?”
Teaching someone who’s never channeled mana before? Hong Ye-na felt insulted. She also anticipated Do Kwon-woo’s motive.
“Probably begged his dad to take classes with his crush. So he can show off to the girl.”
How brazen of a child. To Hong Ye-na, who’d dedicated nearly 30 years to element magic without a thought of romance, this was deeply unpleasant.
“Don’t use magic as a tool for love.”
“And don’t treat me as your love tool.”
“Some of us have never even dated…”
Suppressing her rising frustration, Hong Ye-na looked over at Do Kwon-woo and Yeon Ha-neul, who’d arrived at the training ground. She planned to assess their aptitude, then meet up with acquaintances for drinks afterward.
“Maybe I’ll meet someone by chance.”
Of course, that was just her wishful thinking. If Do Kwon-woo could read her mind…
“Give up. It gets easier when you do. At least it didn’t happen until I graduated from the Advanced Academy.”
That’s what he’d say.
But unaware of the future only Do Kwon-woo knew, Hong Ye-na focused on her task.
“The qualities I’ll assess in you are fundamental: internal mana capacity, mana resistance, mana affinity, versatility, control, recovery speed, manifestation speed, efficiency… Everything needed to handle mana.”
“Can a mana crystal check all that?”
“I won’t use a crystal. They’re cumbersome to carry, prone to malfunctions, and shatter easily. Parents and kids often misuse them, falsely boasting about their vast mana… Not reliable at all.”
“Didn’t ask you.”
“You really don’t watch your words, do you?”
The most common artifact for measuring existence mana is a mana crystal. Artifacts that measure mana unconsciously leaked by an entity are convenient for assessing those who can’t channel mana. However, they’re error-prone and lack precision. They can’t measure much either.
Thus, Hong Ye-na planned to use a different artifact. She took off her hat.
“I’ll use this.”
“This?”
Showing the inside of the hat, Hong Ye-na turned it upside down for Do Kwon-woo and Yeon Ha-neul. They leaned in to peek inside.
As expected, the hat was empty.
“It’s called the ‘Magical Animal Hat.’ I made…”
“The name’s terrible.”
“Kick.”
“…”
She’d meant to boast about her artifact, but Do Kwon-woo’s sharp remark and Yeon Ha-neul’s stifled laughter silenced her.
“You’ve been rude since earlier… Should I hit you?”
She composed herself.
“It looks like an ordinary hat, but it’s a real artifact. When activated, putting your hand inside lets the hat analyze your mana and create a corresponding animal.”
“But Ha-neul doesn’t know how to channel mana.”
“No need. The hat will draw out your internal mana automatically, even if you can’t channel it. It’s similar to measuring mana with a crystal. Since words might not make sense, I’ll show you.”
Hong Ye-na infused mana into the hat.
The artifact activated.
The once-empty hat filled with a blinding light.
“Insert your hand and stir it around. The light will coalesce into an animal that matches your mana state.”
After stirring, the light in her hand stopped changing.
The measurement was complete.
Hong Ye-na withdrew her hand and threw the light orb into the air.
“Then, pull it out like this to finalize the animal.”
“Piiiik!”
The orb burst, revealing a massive bird.
A bird with crimson feathers soared above them.
When Hong Ye-na extended her arm, the bird folded its wings and perched gracefully.
“This creature represents my mana state.”
“Wow…”
“The larger the creature, the greater your internal mana. The more solid its manifestation, the higher your mana focus, versatility, and efficiency.”
Hong Ye-na dissolved the mana used to create the bird.
The bird on her shoulder dispersed into mana particles.
“Now, try it yourselves. Who’ll go first?”
“Ha-neul, you go.”
“Me? But I don’t know how to channel mana…”
“The Witch of Five Colors said you don’t need to.”
“Still…”
“It’s fine. You can do it.”
“…”
Surprisingly, Do Kwon-woo stepped back, letting Yeon Ha-neul go first.
Not wanting to delay, Hong Ye-na handed the hat to the hesitant Yeon Ha-neul.
Meanwhile, her gaze swept over her.
“Can’t tell for sure, but this kid seems to have a lot of internal mana. At first, I thought he brought her just to tease, but maybe he saw her potential?”
Could a mere 12-year-old truly assess another’s mana? Perhaps it was a fluke.
Deciding not to overthink, Hong Ye-na focused on testing Yeon Ha-neul.
“I’ll put my hand in.”
“Right, don’t be scared.”
Yeon Ha-neul inserted her hand into the hat.
She stirred wildly in the light.
After a while.
“Ah, it’s not changing anymore.”
Her measurement was complete.
“The measurement’s done. Hold what’s in your hand and pull it out of the hat.”
“…Okay. Heave-ho!”
Yeon Ha-neul withdrew her hand and threw the light orb far away.
The light burst outward…
“Braaark!”
“…”
“…Are you kidding me.”
A massive elephant erupted.
The enraged elephant trumpeted loudly.
At the surreal sight, Hong Ye-na involuntarily swore.
“What on earth is this? An elephant? What?”
Leave a Reply